Have you been ignoring the email subject line?

We all know the sense of accomplishment that comes with adding the final period to an immaculately-worded email. Then, in a euphoric haze, we quickly hammer out a subject line and hit “Send”. Unfortunately, that neglected email subject line can make all our previous efforts count for nothing.

The subject line is not the cherry on top of your proverbial email sundae, it’s the spoon. It’s what gets your readers to open the email in the first place. Researchers found that 47% of recipients open emails based on the subject line alone.

Think about how many emails you’ve deleted today without ever taking the time to read the content. You’re living proof that email subject lines make or break a campaign!

So, it’s time to give some much needed attention to the forgotten subject line. Here are 5 game-changing tips for your email subject lines:

Using a prospect’s name

One of the easiest ways to get past the awkward introductory stage is to give the prospect a sense of familiarity. Simply personalizing the email subject line makes it 22% more likely to be opened.

Using a prospect’s name gives the feeling that you’re already an acquaintance and you know their business. This powerful technique starts building rapport from the start, and allows the prospect to feel a connection to you.

For example, a subject line, “Hey [name], how’s [company]doing?” gives the prospect the feeling that you know them and understand their business.

Compare these two emails. Ask yourself, “Which of these two would I open if I was Linda from A1 Plumbing?”.

Just like in the words of the immortal Cheers theme song, “You wanna be where everybody knows your name”.

Include a referral source

Referrals are a great source for lead growth. Use your network to compile a list of prospects. Then, when you reach out to those prospects, make sure to name the referral source. This will provide a mutual connection between you and your prospect.

The “friend of a friend” connection works every time. When you name a mutual connection, they stop analyzing you as a stranger and immediately shift their attention to referrer.

An email subject line like, “[mutual connection] recommended I get in touch with you” provides an immediate connection and transfers some of the referral source’s credibility and trust over to you.

Observe these two contrasting emails with the same intent. One leads with the referral.

This technique is particularly powerful given that 69% of email recipients mark messages as spam just based on the subject line. With this simple tweak, you distinguish yourself from the hundreds of strangers that are flooding inboxes.

Provide valuable content

The average business owner dreads dealing with brokers. This is because they already have one underlying assumption in their head, “What’s this broker trying to squeeze from me?”

Luckily, providing free content (that has realvalue) works to contradict their underlying assumption. By giving away valuable content, not only are you not a taker, you’re a giver.

Imagine you get the following emails. Put yourself in Linda’s shoes again. Which do you want to open?

Using the email subject line, “What the new zoning laws mean for you”, or “Some info about the new regulations” changes the prospect’s concept of you from salesperson to sensei. Not only have you shed the sleazy, suspicious label, you’ve now replaced it with the trustworthy label of a mentor.

For example, salespeople know that Tony Robbins is a top-tier salesman, but to the average person on the street Tony Robbins is a self-help guru. The goal is to never have to sell to your clients again. Instead, you’ll simply advise and recommend.

*It should go without saying that in order to maintain the label of mentor, you must actually provide valuable content to your prospects.

Stand out among the crowd

These days, it’s easier than ever to see what other brokers are doing. Unfortunately, this also makes it easier to mimic and blend in with the crowd. But don’t forget, prospects are already being barraged by your competitors before you reach them. So, what can you do avoid getting lost in all the noise?

Here’s a good example of a subject line that immediately stands out among the crowd. Compare it to the standard broker marketing email above it.

If Linda owns a plumbing store, you bet your britches that she’s going to want to hear about a competitor going out of business. And, if you are the first person to tell Linda, this news gives you the aura of a cutting-edge broker that’s ahead of the rest.

Show your credentials

Your clients need to know that you’re the best broker in the city. How do you get this across in a subject line? Well… don’t hold back. Let ’em know it and don’t be modest.

In this business, boldness and confidence can go a long way. Use social proof and experience to show prospects that you’re the expert the job.

One of these emails lets the reader know that you are the kind of broker that gets clients what they want. The other is a bland, throw-away.

Using an email subject line that says “Smith’s Hardware just saved $12k on their lease” does three things to your prospects.

First, it piques their interest. Again, who’s gonna ignore information about their competitors?

Second, it shows social proof that you’re an in-demand broker in their industry.

Third, demonstrates a proven track record of success in the transactions they need. You’re showing them that you can get the job done.

Conclusion

Cold emailing can be challenging because we don’t feel the same tension that we feel with cold calls or face-to-face sales. It’s easy to let our guards down when we’re just sending emails to faceless leads. However, all of the rules of human interaction and social chemistry still apply.

Focus on building rapport and growing trust between you and your prospects. A broker with good rapport will always outperform a slick talker.

Also, take extra care to deliver your message at the best day and time for your emails to be read. There’s no point in sending emails during the daily rush of spam. Instead, send them when the inbox is recently cleared out and people are least distracted.

If you want to know the best times to email your prospects, we go into much greater detail here.

Lastly, use a commercial real estate CRM that allows you to track your email campaigns. Software like Digsy AI or Mailchimp will identify hot leads that opened your emails and are highly interested in your message.

Check out this tutorial where we guide you step-by-step to setup an email tracking system on Mailchimp. Or, better yet, just let Digsy AI automatically track emails for you.

1 Comment

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